I love getting a second use, third or fourth, from items we usually consider, use once and toss. What decorating ideas can you come up with for these sparkly blooms?
Gift Ribbon Coin Ruched Package Trim
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Mini Charm Coin Ruched flowers
You can find the TR700 Jumbo Coin Ruching Guide at many fine quilt shops, instore or online. Check my Website www.laurassagecountryquilts.com for a list of shops I know carry all the Coin Ruching Tools.
Help In The Studio
What is the most helpful hint, tip, hack you have learned for making your studio or sewing space your happy place.
I know for me, when I practice a 15 minute “Fire Drill” once a day, usually before I leave my studio at night, I get so much more real sewing and designing done.
Share your hints in the comments.
Happy Stitchin’
Which Way is Up?
Have you every played that game with King and Queen fitted sheets, Which Way is the Top?
Cut light colored strip into 5 inch pieces.
Fold in half, right sides together and sew side seams.
Turn right side out, press, then use a permanent laundry marker to write TOP or other notation.
Sew or safety pin to the top seam of fitted sheets or any item you want to easily identify the top edge.
Pig in a Blanket
Ask for help heating the oven to 375 degrees, and maybe with opening packages.
1 package of Hot-dogs
A large baking pan
A table knife
A little bit of flour
Parchment paper makes cleanup easy
1 slice of cheese, if you like
The tube may pop open by itself or you may have to gently whack it against the edge of the counter.
Don’t whack to hard ?
Unroll the dough and use the table knife to cut the dough apart following the perforated lines.
Stretch each piece a little bit like in the second photo.
Roll them back and forth to dry them off.
This will make the “blanket” stick better.
Roll up like in the second photo.
Then bring the long tail back over the bare spot on the hot-dog.
With your fingers, pinch the seams together.
Use a table knife to carefully cut a slit in the center of the hot-dog.
Don’t cut all the way through.
Cut a half inch strip of the cheese and insert in the slit.
Then wrap in the blanket as shown above.
Place pan in Pre-heated 375 degree oven.
Bake 12-13 minutes until the blankets are golden brown.
Carefully fold up the parchment you were working on and put in the garbage. You should have only the table knife to wash.
When Pigs are baked, use pot holders or oven mitts to remove the pan from the oven.
Let them stand 5 minutes before eating.
You don’t want to burn your tongue.
Use a spatula or pancake turner to remove the Pigs in blankets from the pan.
Remember to turn the oven off.
If you bake these,and mom makes a salad, you will have teamed up to make lunch or dinner.
Serve with catsup, mustard or ranch dressing.
Individual Peach Cobbler
Fresh peaches make yummy cobbler, fruit on the bottom with a sweet biscuit on top.
1/4 cup biscuit mix (like Bisquick)
1 Tablespoon milk
1/8 tsp lemon juice
Some sugar and some cinnamon
And, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Ask for help because you will be working with a sharp knife.
With the sharp knife, cut a small X in the bottom of the peach and place it stem end down on a microwave safe plate.
Place plate with peach in microwave oven and cook on high 30 seconds. This will loosen the skin. This is called blanching, slightly cooking something.
( If you want to blanch more than one peach, add an additional 10 seconds cooking time for each peach, two peaches take 40 second and three would take 50 seconds.)
While the peach is blanching, fill a medium bowl with cold water (you can add some ice-cubes if you have them). this will help loosen the fuzzy skin and cool the hot peach.
Be careful, peeled peaches are slippery
Then cut the peach halves into thin slices.
Add 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar and a dash of ground cinnamon.
What is a dash? A dash is like one shake only with a little sweep to it.
Stir well again
Place the round on top of the peaches in the dish and press down gently. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp granulated sugar and several dashes of cinnamon.
Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and biscuit is golden brown.
Mom, Dad or the babysitter will appreciate this.
Put a very small amount of dish soap in the mixing bowl. Fill with hot water and wash all the spoons, knives, plates and other items you used. Rinse well and set on draining mat or dish drainer to air dry.
Let it stand about 10 minutes before eating. You don’t want to burn your tongue.
If you have whipped cream of vanilla ice cream, they go very well with Peach Cobbler.
I hope you are all having fun trying new recipes and learning cooking skills.
Next week, Pigs in a Blanket.
Tie On Emergency Face Mask
You will need 1 Fat Quarter close-weave, all cotton fabric (18 x 22 inches) and a spool of sewing thread, scissors, and rotary cutting equipment is very helpful
and 4 strips, 1 1/4 inches by 22 inches
Or, if you happen to have some pre-made folded binding on hand, you can skip the strips and cut a third 6 x 22 inch strip.
Seriously, pressing will make your life easier in this project.
Place the center fold at the center of a pleated edge and pin in place through all layers. then use two more pins to secure at the edges of the mask.
This is not a wedding dress!
Just stitch across the tiny end, turn and sew down the open side of the tie, close to the edge. Your machine may be finicky about this step, but go slow and talk sweetly to it, and it should cooperate.
Pressing Matters
Accurate pressing is just as important as accurate seams in producing well pieced quilt blocks.
Punkin 
Irby
Angels, arent they.
Organizing Your Sewing Space for the New Year
I work in a very small studio. 10 feet by 10 feet. Things are packed in pretty tight.
Projects are here and there, but they all have their space.
So how do I keep this small space so I can work in it? My first line of defense is doing a 15 minute pick up at the end of each day. I use a kitchen timer to keep me focused.
Most of the time I have several projects going at once and I like to keep things portable so I can take with me to work on. Wrap-n-Totes from my pattern #1501 work well to corral a messy project or to transport a hand sewing project.
I have many projects in ArtBins and 2 Gallon Zip Closure Bags, labeled and including a Project Action Sheet where I have listed next steps, supplies needed and a proposed finish date.
Of course no work space is complete without a good paperweight. Punkin, our Manager of Operations, likes filling that duty.
I am offering an Organized Sewing Space Workshop at Experience Quilts!, Odessa, Washington, beginning Saturday, January 18th, 2020. 509-982-2012
Looking for a Guild or Shop Workshop, contact us at our info@laurassagecountryquilts link.
What organizing tips can you share with your fellow readers?
Color Play
Try this fun color game.
It will help train your eye to see all the color variations, and the endless combinations you can use in a quilt.
Pick any photo that catches your eye.
Then, working with your stash or scrap bin, cut 2 inch squares from all the fabrics you find that match bits in your photo.
Look for dark, medium and light shades, tints, hues, tones and multi color fabrics.
Then arrange in gradations as shown in this photo, and glue in place. Now you have a tool to help you select fabrics for your next project.
Make more than one. Try a pastel photo, or a photo you don’t like, stretch your color palette a bit.
This is fun to do with groups at guild meetings and retreats.
Yes, I do workshops on the fun color game.